Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the mounting of windows in vehicle bodies, and more particularly to the structure for mounting such windows in flush relationship with adjacent surfaces of vehicle bodies.
The manufacturers of modern automobiles strive to improve the fuel economy of the vehicles that they produce in many ways. One way is through increased attention to aerodynamic effects in the design of vehicle bodies. This attention to aerodynamic considerations has resulted in changes in the approach to mounting windows in vehicle bodies. It is deemed desirable, both for the aerodynamic reasons and for aesthetic reasons, to maintain a surface continuity where windows are carried in the vehicle body. Automotive designers attempt to achieve flushness between the window glass and the adjacent exterior surfaces of the vehicle body. In the fixed side windows of vehicles, a modern popular approach to this achieving of flushness has been in the design of so-called "modular windows." These are windows in which an elastomeric frame is molded situ about the outer peripheral edge of the window glass, and the resulting assembly is inserted into a window aperture to be positioned against a rabbet flange. This approach suffers from a number of disadvantages. One is that the encapsulation results in a portion of the elastomer extending outwardly beyond the exterior planar surface of the window preventing the achieving of full flushness. Another is that accurately positioning and adjusting the position of the assembly in the vehicle window aperture necessitates the use of special clips and other non-standard fasteners. Yet another is that the encapsulated modular windows are relatively expensive to produce.